Students from Qatar Net Summer of Research in New York
For the first graduating class of Weill Cornell Medical College-Qatar, this summer offered a special way to celebrate a fruitful first year.
Eleven outstanding students in the Class of 2008 at Weill Cornell Medical College-Qatar (WCMC-Q), were selected to spend eight weeks in New York for a Summer Research Fellowship Program, which will become an annual event. The students began working in the labs on July 5.
Dr. Gary Schneider, senior associate dean for research in Qatar, traveled to New York for the summer with the students. Upon returning to Doha for the new academic year, he will organize a forum for the students to discuss their research experience with oral and poster presentations.
"The faculty mentors will give the students a good scientific basis for medical research in the labs," Dr. Schneider said.
Funded by summer research fellowships, the students were paired with professors in various research departments of the Medical College. Many of the professors had visited Qatar as guest lecturers, or taught the students via the video streaming system, so in many cases they were acquainted with the students who joined their teams.
The steadily growing medical college in Qatar, which is housed in a building the size of two football fields, enrolled 26 students in the Class of 2009, 42 students in the Class of 2010 and 60 in the Class of 2011. Courses are taught with identical curricula as the New York City campus, and graduates will receive Cornell University medical degrees.
The summer research fellows lived together in apartments on the Upper East Side, socializing with each other and their New York colleagues after work and on the weekends. Here are some of their stories.
Maryam Shafaee, a soft-spoken student from Iran, has devoted her summer to studying the mechanisms of sodium channels in animal models, exploring protein mutations that may be involved in hypertension. This is her first time in the United States. "It's amazing," she said. "I love this city." She works in the lab of Dr. Lawrence Palmer, professor of physiology and biophysics, who credits her as being among the pioneers at the Medical College's Qatari campus.
"It's amazing how a group of people focus on one special subject, work long hours for a long time and can accomplish something really significant," she said, adding that everyone in the lab is patient, friendly, and just as eager to teach as Shafaee is to learn.
Dr. Palmer traveled to Qatar for a week for a visiting lectureship, delivering a talk on kidney physiology which sparked Shafaee's interest. Shafaee's first lab experience is largely about starting from scratch, focusing on the rudimentary techniques of Western blots and other building blocks. Dr. Palmer applauds her initiative in expanding her repertoire by trying her hand at new procedures. Shafaee's work with Dr. Rache Simmons, the Anne K. and Edwin C. Weiskopf Associate Professor of Surgical Oncology, involves chart review and data analysis, but she has attended two reconstructive breast surgeries, which she termed "an amazing experience."
Rana Biary is in the ideal place to study the renin enzyme, its synthesis and release in mast cells, and its role in inflammation and vasoconstriction. She's working in the very lab that made the breakthrough discovery that renin is secreted by mast cells in the heart and lungs, instead of solely from kidney cells.
Biary, like Shafaee, is mastering basic laboratory techniques and amassing valuable lab experience. Dr. Randi Silver, associate professor of physiology and biophysics, spends at least three or four hours a day with Biary to go over procedures, research and results.
At her high school in Saudi Arabia, Biary particularly enjoyed her science courses. Physiology is one of her favorite concepts, and when Dr. Silver visited Qatar to lecture on the topic, Biary knew she wanted to work in her lab.
"It's not just what you study, it's how you approach it," Biary said. "You have to approach lab work like a logarithm, be very organized and go step by step. It doesn't come intuitively. But it's helped me to become a more dexterous researcher."
Subhi Al Aref analyzes the cell plasma membrane with Dr. Olaf Andersen. Al Aref's landmark discoveries have earned him a mention in a peer-reviewed journal.
"As physiologists, we're interested in mechanisms and how things work," Dr. Silver added. "To focus on something at the cellular level is eye-opening. Rana has developed some good basic lab skills. She's applied her basic chemistry, making all her own solutions and cell cultures and Western blots, even assisting grad students in calcium imaging, which is very complicated. She's taken an active role in exposing herself to many opportunities."
Biary said the potluck dinner held for students on both campuses gave her a valuable opportunity to speak to second-, third-and fourth-year students about the medical school experience – groups not accessible to the trailblazing Qatar class.
Jehan Al-Rayahi, a native Qatari, is conducting research in the department of pharmacology, working with cell cultures to investigate apoptosis (cell death). Last year she participated in the pre-med program with Dr. Shahin Rafii, learning basic science and orienting herself to research facilities. Now, under Dr. Hazel Szeto, professor of pharmacology, she's becoming more exposed to how research is conducted, through journal clubs and the like. The experience has affirmed Al-Rayahi's interest in pursuing a career in academic research.
Al-Rayahi, who lives with her family in Doha, finds her summer in New York particularly fortifying. "I like living in my own apartment. It gives you the feeling of independence," she said. Noting that the next summers would mandate intense studying, she said, "We realize this is the last summer of fun." The group caught a performance of "Fiddler on the Roof" on Broadway; they've also soaked up the local landscapes at museums, the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty and Central Park.
Subhi Al Aref, a student from Jerusalem, has found a kindred spirit in Dr. Olaf Andersen, the Thomas H. Meikle, Jr. Professor of Medical Education and professor of physiology and biophysics. Dr. Andersen visited Qatar to deliver a lecture that aligned perfectly with Al Aref's interest in biophysiology.
Under Dr. Andersen's guidance, Al Aref is investigating the cell plasma membrane and the effects of a specific protein called BDM. The area of focus is a recent one. In gathering evidence of protein's effect on cells, Al Aref has found that even small concentrations of BDM have an effect on the elastic properties on the cell membrane's lipid bilayer. His finding will be published in a peer-reviewed journal later this year.
"The challenge was, in eight weeks, to come up with a project in which one feels he's making significant contributions," Dr. Andersen said. "Subhi has risen to the challenge. That is what you call a hit. To see Subhi and the curiosity and intensity with which he works, I have no doubt that he is going to be a scientist."
For Al Aref, research is a definite career choice. "This is one summer I'll carry till the last day of my life," he said. "It's very stressful and also very enjoyable." He has learned the meaning of high-quality research, conceiving and executing a strategy with methodical precision. "It's an acquired skill."
Al Aref applies his knowledge of mathematics and physics to elucidate and guide his research. The mechanisms he is clarifying will expand the knowledge base for devising other experiments, and will ultimately have implications for human health.
"He has good, strong quantitative skills, and that's why he's independent now," his mentor said. "He has been able to take considerable ownership of his project, and you're not really a scientist until you're able to do that."
Al Aref's drive is typical of the students on the Qatar campus, Dr. Andersen added. "It was a joy to teach the students in Doha – the level of energy, excitement and dedication is really quite remarkable. These students are pioneers," he said.
Photos by Amelia Panico.